All the days of her life
by OtakuKunoichi
Summary: Sakura has diabetes, and her friends have 'sicknesses'. Sasuke's a player and Naruto cares for her...but will she accept him as more than a friend because he's a hemophiliac? Fluff SasuSakuNaru
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Lacey Duval – Haruno Sakura

Monet – Ino

Katie – Temari

Sheila – Aiko

Amanda – Hinata

Jeff – Naruto

Todd – Sasuke

Chelsea - Lia

Chapter I

Haruno Sakura sat on her bed hating the filled insulin syringe she held in her hand. Another morning and she needed her shot. The needle made her feel like a prisoner, even though her doctor always said it made her life easier. She'd been a diabetic since she'd turned eleven, so she'd spent five years giving herself twice-a-day shots and of living in fear of untimely insulin reactions. She hated the whole business.

"Sakura!" her mother called from the kitchen. "The phone's for you. It's your friend from Michigan. Don't be too long, or you'll be late for school. I'm leaving for work now. I'll see you after six."

Sakura grabbed the extension on her desk. "Hi," said her friend Temari in Ann Arbor. "I know it's early to call, but I wanted you to know we're bringing Lia home from the hospital today."

"That's great. How's she doing?"

"So far no problems with organ rejection. Her new heart's working fine."

Sakura was relieved. She'd spent weeks worrying about Lia, afraid that her friend's heart transplant would reject and she would die. She shuddered over thoughts about sickness and death. "How's she dealing with Jilly's death?"

"That part's been rougher," Temari confessed. "She was in the pits for weeks and almost lost her will to live. You know that Jilly left Lia a videotape and Lia played it over and over. I think that helped change her attitude. I think she's crazy about Jilly's brother Neji too. But it looks pretty hopeless for them to get together."

Sakura had met Jilly only once, but the girl had had an impact on her. Sakura felt it wasn't fair that people got sick, or needed organs and there weren't enough to go around to make everyone well. Especially kids. She set down her insulin syringe, loathing it more than ever because it reminded her that although she felt fine, and looked "normal", she was saddled with a disease.

"How long will Lia and her mom stay with you before she can go back home?" Sakura asked.

"Another six weeks." Temari paused. "My parents have been great. We'll all miss her when she leaves. She's been living with us since September, so I've gotten used to having her around."

Sakura's beside clock radio warned her that she was going to be late for first period, but she didn't cut off the conversation. "How's track coming?"

"The season opens in April. I'll be ready. Right now there's snow on the ground."

"I've read about snow. White stuff that's cold. Here in Miami, it's going to be seventy-five today. I may have to dab on some suntan lotion."

"You're mean!" Temari said with a laugh. "We probably won't see the ground until March."

"How's your little problem with Kiba and Shikamaru working out? It must be hard to have two guys longing for you, although I wouldn't know."

Temari sighed and Sakura sensed her frustration. "Shikamaru still sees red if Kiba so much as talks to me in the hall."

"That's not who I'm asking about. How does Temari feel about Kiba?"

"I wish I'd never mentioned him to you. You ask too many loaded question."

"Remember what I told you over Thanksgiving break at Jenny House," Sakura answered. "Some guys like to mess with a girl's head. It makes them feel important."

Temari sidestepped Sakura's question. "How about you and Naruto? Did you hear from him over Christmas?"

"Naruto sent me a card from Colorado, but I ignored it."

"You are so cruel, Sakura."

"Don't preach. I know what I'm doing." Like the others in her circle of Jenny House friends, Naruto was also sick, a hemophiliac. Sakura knew she couldn't handle having a sick boyfriend no matter how much she liked him. The clock stared accusingly at her. She was going to be very late. "Listen, much as I hate to cut this short, I've got to go to school."

"I'm sorry to make you late. I miss talking to you."

"Same here. I'll call you and Lia on Saturday, when the rates are lower. Tell her I'm really glad she's doing so well."

"Will do."

Sakura hung up, grabbed her books, and headed to the door. She was turning her car into the school parking lot, when she remembered her insulin syringe lying beside the phone. If she returned home for it, she'd be worse than tardy, she'd be given a detention. _All right, so you forgot_, she told herself philosophically. _No big deal._ It wouldn't be the first time. She'd simply cut back on her eating all day and locate near a water fountain to deal with the thirst she knew would come.

By noon her burning thirst seemed unquenchable. Sakura pleaded sickness – in fact, she felt sick to her stomach from high blood sugar – and got out of phys ed. When the school nurse saw her, she sent her home. When Ten-Ten saw her in the hall on her way out, Sakura told her, "Touch of the flue." She didn't like fibbing, but there was no way Sakura wanted anyone from school to know she was a diabetic. She'd hidden that tidbit of information and would continue to do so.

"You've got to be better by tomorrow night," Ten-Ten insisted, her large brown eyes full of concern. "Sasuke's having a blow-out at his place after the basketball game. You know what fun Sasuke's parties are."

"I'll be fine," Sakura assured her.

By the time she arrived home, Sakura felt awful. She figured her blood sugar was sky high and that ketones, poisonous wastes from lack of insulin, were building in her bloodstream.

She realized that she should test her blood with her glucose monitoring machine, but that would mean pricking the sensitive tip of her finger to squeeze out a drop of blood onto the testing strip. "Forget it," she told herself, deciding instead to try to rid her body of ketones and excessive sugar by drinking large quantities of water and getting insulin into herself as quickly as possible.

She threw away the syringe filled with her morning dose of long-acting insulin and drew up a syringe of regular – short-acting – insulin. She reminded herself that too much would carry the risk of a reaction. And too little wouldn't solve her problem.

With a wince, Sakura inserted the short needle in to the fleshy part of her abdomen. She pushed down the plunger, and as the insulin flowed into her, it burned. She withdrew the needle, pressed the site with an antiseptic-drenched cotton ball, and waited for the burning to cease. Finally, she broke off the needle and threw the debris into the garbage.

Her forgetfulness about her morning shot would mean another shot of regular insulin later that evening. Why couldn't medical science figure out a better way to get insulin into a diabetic's body?

Lia had once asked if she could qualify for pancreas transplant – the organ that produced insulin in the body. She'd asked her doctor, who was also her uncle, about the possibility, and he'd shaken his head. "It's not practical. As long as you continue to do well on standard therapy, we won't rock the boat." Then he'd peered over the tops of his glasses and added, "If you'd come to some of the seminars and support group meetings at the hospital, you'd learn about these things."

"I attended some of the meetings," she'd said defensively.

"You came twice."

"Who wants to hang around with a bunch of sickies? I'm not sick," Sakura insisted.

"Sakura, be reasonable. Diabetes is a manageable disease. And support groups can help work out your feelings."

She'd grabbed her purse and ducked out of his office, saying over her shoulder, "I come in for regular checkups with you. That's enough."

The ringing phone made Sakura start. The second she heard her father's voice her stomach constricted. "How's my girl?" he asked. "Are we still on for this weekend? I've gotten us tickets for _Cats_ Saturday afternoon at the convention center."

Ever since her parents had separated over the holidays and her father had taken an apartment, he'd been spending time with her by asking her to do things on the weekends. "Sure, Dad, that'll be fine."

_Life's not fair! _She thought. _It's just not fair!_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter II

Sakura shouldered her way through the crowd of kids swarming around Sasuke's pool deck area toward Ten-Ten, Aiko, and Ino, three other girls from school. "Glad you made it," Ten-Ten said. "Are you feeling better today?"

"Perfect." Sakura flashed a smile to prove it. "I had to park two blocks down the street. What a mob scene."

"Sasuke throws good parties," Ino said with a bored expression. She was a tall, willowy blonde who did some professional modeling. Ino wasn't Sakura's favorite person. Sakura considered her conceited and snobbish, totally unfriendly.

With a sly whisper, Aiko told Sakura, "Get a soda and I'll pour a little something special in it."

Sakura knew she meant something alcoholic because it was obvious that many in the crowd had been drinking. She was tempted, but for diabetics alcohol wasn't smart. It wreaked havoc with blood sugar levels. All she needed was to have a reaction and make a fool of herself in front of her friends. Especially Ino. "Maybe Later," she hedged.

"How about you, Ten-ten?" Aiko asked.

"Too many empty calories," Ten-ten said with a grin. "I'd rather waste them on chocolate."

Sakura admired Ten-ten's way of saying no. "So what's happening?" Sakura asked.

In one direction, Sasuke's house rose, a two-story mansion of white stucco and red Spanish tile.

"Same old, same old," Ino said. "No new faces. What a bore."

"Then why'd you come?" Ten-ten asked.

"She hopes Sasuke will give her a tumble," Aiko said cattily.

Sakura didn't like what she heard. She'd secretly been interested in Sasuke herself ever since school had started in September. Ino was formidable competition.

Ino arched an eyebrow. "I usually get what I go after."

"Did you get that job modeling clothes for the catalogue that's shooting on Miami Beach next week?" Ten-ten asked.

"Of course. My agent called to confirm yesterday."

Ten-ten said, "I'd love to model, but I love food too much." She patted her hips. "And every bite settles here."

"I eat whatever I want," Ino said.

"But you never seem to gain weight."

"There're ways around gaining."

Sakura listened glumly. Her diabetes caused her wage an endless war with weight gain. The only time she'd been truly thin was when she'd been first diagnosed. Diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition brought on by a need for insulin, had left her weak and gaunt, and dehydrated.

"Why are the best-looking girls at my party standing with one another instead of mingling?" Sasuke asked, swooping into the foursome, encircling Ino's and Sakura's waists with broad, muscular arms.

Sakura felt her breath catch at the sight of him. Ino said, "We were drawing straws to see who gets you for the evening."

Sasuke grinned. "Who won?"

"Don't you mean 'Who lost?'"

Todd nuzzled Ino's neck. "I could make time for all of you."

"Sorry, I don't do crowd scenes," Ino told him, eyeing the others. "And three is definitely a crowd."

He pulled back. "If it's privacy you want, come into the house with me."

Sakura felt Sasuke's arm leave her waist as he turned his full attention onto Ino. "Maybe I will," Ino said coyly. "But you'd better make it worth my time."

Sasuke took her hand and started up the sloping lawn toward the back patio and veranda of his home. "Don't mind me," Aiko called after Ino, her voice edged with sarcasm. "I'll find another way home." She whirled toward Ten-ten and Sakura, looking miffed. "Ino never thinks of anybody but herself. Did you see how she hustled Sasuke off?"

"Big deal," Ten-ten said.

But Sakura thought it was a big deal. In one smooth movent, Ino had staked her claim on Sasuke and wrapped him up like a package. "There's no accounting for taste," Sakura said to the others.

Aiko studied her. "At least you'll be doing his makeup for the play. That'll put you in his face every night for two weeks."

"It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it," Sakura said sweetly, knowing Aiko's observation was true. The senior play was in March. Rehearsals had already started and soon, full makeup would be required. In the meantime, Lacey painted sets and did backstage work. "I'll mention your name when I'm 'in his face.'"

Aiko stalked off. Sakura watched her clear a path through the crowds and asked, "Gee, was it something I said?"

Ten-ten smiled. "Poor Aiko. Two strikes against her in less than fifteen minutes."

"Are you feeling sorry for her?"

"Are you kidding? She's the biggest mouth in school. She deserves to be hassled." Ten-ten tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Do _you_ like Sasuke?"

"He's all right. Aren't you interested in him?"

"No way. The only person Sasuke cares about is Sasuke. He's too good-looking. He has too much money. He thinks he can have anything he wants. Don't waste your time on him, Sakura."

"Nothing else is happening."

"Boredom's no reason to go after a guy."

Ten-ten's words brought back Temari's from the previous summer at Jenny House when Temari had accused Sakura of leading on Naruto simply because she didn't have anything better to do. Sakura told Ten-ten, "Sasuke's cute. I'm interested."

"Poor girl. I'm telling you, Sasuke's no catch."

"Even for Ino?"

"Especially Ino. They're probably up there fighting right now over who gets to use the mirror first."

Sakura chuckled. "So who makes your pulse race from our school?"

"Dakota."

Sakura searched her memory for a face to put with the name. "Do I know a Dakota?"

"Sure. He's my white rat in psychology lab. He's warm and fuzzy and totally dependent on me. He's a cheap date, and when I'm with him, he has eyes only for me. Little beady red eyes full of adoration. Yes, Dakota loves me truly."

"You're silly," Sakura said with a grin. She looked around at the party crowd again. The music had grown louder, the shrieking and laughter louder still. The pool water had sloshed all over the deck, filling the air with the scent of chlorine. Several lounge chairs were sitting on the bottom of the pool and the colored lights, which earlier had seemed so pretty, made things look garish and distorted. All at once she didn't want to be there. "Would you like to come back to my house, make some popcorn, and watch TV? Friday is Fright Night on channel four."

"I'd like that better than staying here," Ten-ten said. "My car's parked someplace out front."

"You can follow me." Sakura led the way out of the party, wondering why she'd never developed a closer friendship with Ten-ten, who seemed nice and fun to be with. She thought fleetingly about Sasuke and Ino. Perhaps Ten-ten was right. Maybe Sasuke was too used to getting whatever he wanted. Ruefully, she told herself that tonight, at least, what he wanted wasn't her.

She found her car, waited until Ten-ten drove up behind her, then led the way out of Sasuke's neighborhood toward her own home miles away. In the rearview mirror, the lights from the party glowed against the night sky while the house where Sasuke lived reminded her of an amusement park.

Sakura awoke Saturday morning feeling sluggish and cranky. She blinked at the clock beside her headboard and saw that it was nine-thirty. Her father was picking her up for lunch and the matinee in ninety minutes. She groaned, cross with herself for sleeping so late. Why hadn't her mother called her? Why hadn't she remembered to set her alarm?

Ten-ten had stayed until after midnight, and they'd had fun watching old horror movies and eating popcorn together. When Ten-ten went home, Sakura continued to stay up watching an all-night movie channel. She'd even eaten more than she should have and that's why she'd not awakened shaky from an insulin reaction. However, now it was too late for breakfast, since she'd be eating lunch soon. Worst of all, she'd missed her morning injection time.

She rolled out of bed, only to hear the doorbell ringing. "Now what?" Where was her mother anyway? As the bell sounded once more, she recalled her mother telling her something about working overtime in order to prepare a presentation for a new client the ad agency she worked for was wooing.

"Terrific!" Sakura muttered under her breath. She pulled a filmy bathrobe around herself, raked her hand through her tangled pink hair, and ran for the door, shouting, "Hold on! I'm coming!"

She yanked open the door and blinked against the glare of the bright morning sun. "What is it --?" She stopped midsentence.

"I like your outfit." Naruto said, eyeing her up and down. He reached out and touched her cheek. "So, Sakura, have you got a minute for an old friend? Or do I have to stand on your doorstep while you stare me down?"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter III

Unable to do much except stare, Sakura obediently stepped aside and let him into the foyer of her house.

"Nice place," Naruto said, peering into the living room. "Why don't you close the door? You're letting the warm air out."

Sakura shut the door, for although the sun was shining brightly, the January day had dawned cool and seemed destined to remain so. Recovering from the shock of seeing Naruto on her doorstep, she asked, "What are you doing in Miami? I thought you were in Colorado."

"I transferred to the University of Miami for winter term. It has a top-notch program for my major – architecture. If you'd written me back instead of ignoring my Christmas card, I'd have told you."

She ignored his barb. "Are you here just for this term?"

"For my final two years of undergraduate work, actually. I've rented an apartment near the campus. I'll show it to you sometime."

"How long have you been in town?"

"Three days. I drove. Hauled all my junk in a trailer across half the United States. But I'm settled in now. Classes start Monday, so since I have a weekend to kill, I thought I'd look you up."

Sakura heard the sound of her heart thudding and wasn't sure if it was thumping in joy over seeing him again, or in fear, because he was part of a world she didn't want to be reminded of. "I didn't know you wanted to be an architect."

"There's lost you don't know about me. Lots I want you to know."

The way his blue eyes bore into her made color creep up her neck. She recalled the explosions of heat she'd felt when he'd kissed her in the woods near Jenny House on the Fourth of July, and suddenly realized that she was still in her nightgown and robe. She clutched the top of the robe closer to her throat. "It was nice of you to drop by but you really should have called me first," she said in her frostiest voice. "I'm sure you'll be happy at U of M. I've – uh – got a date, so I can't talk now."

His eyebrow arched. "A date in the middle of the day?"

Flustered, she realized that she'd wanted him to think the date was more than it was, but at the last moment she chickened out. "My dad's taking me to lunch and a play. My parents split up over the holidays."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "No big deal. It's been coming for months. iving here for the past few years was like living in a war zone. Now that Dad's moved out, things are much more peaceful."

"You might have said something about it this summer."

"It wasn't anyone's business." She tossed her long pink hair to make her point. She didn't want his pity, and she didn't want him knowing too much about her. "And Jenny House was far away, so I didn't have to think about it during the summer. Once I got home, school started. I kept busy."

"You wrote me one letter last September," Naruto said. "A kissoff, if I recall. You didn't mention it then either."

"I don't owe you any explanations about my personal life, Naruto. And since you brought up the letter, I _did_ intend it to end contact between us."

"No joke," he said with humor. "It would have worked, except I knew I was transferring colleges and since we'll be in the same city –"

"Miami's a huge city. No reason for us to run into each other."

"You're the only person I know here."

He looked lonely and maybe even homesick. "Naruto, I didn't mean to say you're unwelcome. It's just that I have a life."

"Hey – so do I. I'm not out to crowd you. It's just that we were friends at Jenny House. We shared a pretty deep experience with Hinata, and I guess I'm feeling that still connects us someway."

Hinata had been everybody's friend, and when her leukemia had returned and she'd been hospitalized, Sakura and her friends had visited her faithfully. Sakura found it difficult to think about her. "Hinata loved you," Sakura said, feeling a lump of loss and regret lodge in her throat.

"And I did everything I could to make her think I loved her too. And I _did_l ove you," Naruto added with conviction.

"But not in the way she thought you did."

"She was like a sister to me. And don't forget, she was just thirteen. I'm almost nineteen. In the best of circumstances, it would have been a bad case of puppy love."

"Except that the puppy died."

"Low blow, Sakura." Naruto's expression looked wounded.

"Sorry," she said.

"Can we call a truce?"

"Truce," she said.

He caught her hand. "Can we seal the treaty with a date? I'd like to thin I had a friend in this town."

His touch sent a jolt through her, but she was careful not to react. She understood his feelings of loneliness, of needing company. She felt torn, but said, "I guess so. Just for old times' sake."

"What else?"

"I don't know what I can give you, Naruto. I'm pretty busy with school and all."

"Don't be afraid of me. I won't be a bother."

She was afraid of falling for him again but didn't dare let him know. "You'll be busy with college and I'll be busy with my life. No problem."

Naruto gave her a speculative look. "Then what's the harm of spending a little time together?"

"No harm," she conceded. If she attempted to tell him otherwise, she'd be impossibly late.

"Then I'll call you later." He grinned and reached behind him for the doorknob. "But first –" with a quick movement he pulled her into his arms, kissed her longingly, and slipped out of the house.

It happened too fast for her to push him away. The only sensation she felt as she watched him jog toward his car was surprise. Surprise over how the warmth of his lips lingered on her mouth like sunshine. Surprise over how much she wanted to kiss him again.


End file.
